Interview with Eko Bintang

Eko Bintang Prasetya is an artist, illustrator and art director based in Jakarta Indonesia. He always been interested in drawings since he was a kid and then grew up with drawing as his passion. He also found out that drawings and illustrations are an useful media to get messages.

His work has been featured in many fashion magazine such as Nylon, Dazed, Elle, Cosmo Girl, Dewi, and Currently busy and active as an art director at a hype fashion magazine, Swank Glossy.

Profile Pict Photographed by Jed Doble

GMK: How would you define yourself?

E: I am very Taurean

GMK: What motivates you?

E: beautiful things

GMK: What do you most enjoy about the work process? And what the least?

E: I really enjoy exploring ideas through sketches.. it’s really fun to see how our mind can translate, search & construct with a bit help of a pen and paper.. I hate it when it comes to money/value..

GMK: Is there any differences between the work for experimental project and commercial project?

E: Personally I think the only difference is the Approach.. experimental projects was more to the technical side of the work , and commercial projects was more for the brief or the purpose of the work (and of course.. the money)

GMK: Lately your work has been featured in many famous fashion magazines such as elle, bazaar, nylon etc. Can you tell us how did that happen?

E: They contact me through Facebook (business card is so passé) ..nowadays you can befriend with friends of friends.. and as long as you have a bunch good and talented friends.. I think the possibilities are lavish.

GMK: How do you feel about collaboration?

E: Knowing that creative people are very ‘territorial’ ..I salute anyone who can work on anykind of collaboration project

GMK: Business, technology is clearly changing, and evolving very quickly as well. What do you do as an artist and illustrator face all of that, especially in the process of work?

E: These condition demands more speed to catch up.. hang on to a particular field and tools would be a solution.. and try hard to work efficiently & effectively without compromising with the quality of the final work itself.

GMK: What are you listening to these days?

E: My all time favourites are The Smashing Pumpkins & Garbage..

GMK: How has Indonesia and its culture affected your work?

E: we need extra efforts to dig into our own culture.. that’s a sad story.. but our subculture has always easy to observe, the ways we interact, obsessed & behave with each other was really the things that influenced us as social being living in Indonesia.. and these things does affect my works

GMK: Artists you admire?

E: Édouard Manet & Edgar Degas, these two are french painters from the 18th century

GMK: What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years of your life?

E: Make a living from my Art ..stay in Bali

GMK: Could you draw the view from your working space?

GMK: Whats your EDC (everyday carry) or pocket dump?

E: Perfume, Macbook pro/iPad, sketchbook & some books or magazines

GMK; What is the best advice you received that you would like to share with aspiring designers and artist?

E: No one ever gave me a ‘good’ advice.. but I can try to give mine: always believe & respect your first idea that pops in your head ..it’s the purest thing of any form.. then dedicate yourself while having fun working on it.